VIVUS Inc. announced its support of new clinical practice guidelines urging healthcare providers to take an active role in helping overweight or obese patients achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. The guidelines also state that obesity medication can be considered as an adjunct to lifestyle intervention to help appropriate patients (individuals with BMI > 30 or BMI > 27 with at least one obesity-associated comorbid condition) achieve their weight loss goals. The new guidelines were developed by the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology and The Obesity Society, in conjunction with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
In addition, a publication in the Journal of the American Medical Association, by researchers from the National Institutes of Health, found that medications approved for long-term obesity treatment, when used as an adjunct to lifestyle intervention, lead to an increased likelihood of achieving clinically meaningful weight loss.
